Day by Day (November 2013)

1101 (Friday) Good Day. Weight 153.5.  Fitbit Steps 23801. Total Burn 3032. Calories in 1950. Calories out 1321. Exercise: 120minElliptical. The boys were out of school, so I slept in. Got in a couple sessions on the elliptical then ran some errands (nails done, groceries, new shoes for the boys, signed up for basketball). Hubby was home early and then he and three of the boys left for a campout. I got more exercise in as I had no plans that night. 

1102 (Saturday) Blah Day. Weight 152.5.  Fitbit Steps 7745.  Total Burn 2058.  Calories in 1950.  Calories out 346. Exercise: 20minElliptical.  Busy morning. #4 had a 9:00 game, I didn't get up early enough to get in a workout before. We had my grandma's funeral right after. It was a nice service. I haven't been feeling great lately (stuffy nose/congestion) and today was worse than it has been. I did try 20min on the elliptical and almost felt like I was going to pass out. I finished, but it was tough. I took it easy the rest of the day, but I also kept calories in check.

1103 (Sunday) Ok Day. Weight 152.8.  Fitbit Steps 12624. Total Burn 2402.  Calories in 1950. Calories out 681.  Exercise: 60minElliptical. Fall Back ... so it was a relaxing morning (but I was still late for church!) First workout of the day was a little tough, but the other two felt good.  Sunday Circles in the morning, I did eat an entire waffle.  Stuck a roast in the crock pot for dinner. Laid down for a little nap but I don't know if I really slept. Didn't do homemade oreos today, but did snack on peanut M&Ms.

1104 (Monday) Good Day. Weight 154.4. Fitbit Steps 25333. Total Burn 3375. Calories in 2400. Calories out 1654. Exercise: 100minElliptical, 60min/16miles Bike, 60minWeights.  Still adjusting to the time change, I was up early today (about 5:30) but that got me two elliptical sessions before taking the kids to school. It was a good exercise day, as Mondays often are. Got in my weights session and some bike (the plan was to watch Downton Abby, about 45 minutes, but I got a call to come pick up kids from basketball early so I had to stop at 30min, I then went back and finished the show and then read for a second 30min session). Food was ok today. #1 was begging for homemade oreos, and if I made them, I eat them. I guess I had the calories to spare more today than yesterday (I begged off making them last night). I was SO tired though, ready for bed by 9:00.

1105 (Tuesday) Good Day. Weight 154.6. Fitbit Steps 26955. Total Burn 3239.  Calories in 3000. Calories out 1517. Exercise: 120minElliptical, 38min/10miles Bike, 1 mile Treadmill, 15minWiiFit. Another good, busy day where I was absolutely burned out by the end. #3 had basketball practice from 9:00-10:00 but he was too tired and so was I! Still adjusting to this time change. Calories sure added up today, nothing extraordinary ... those handfuls of peanut M&Ms sure add up though!

1106 (Wednesday) Good Day. Weight 154.9.  Fitbit Steps 23910. Total Burn 3067.  Calories in 2200.  Calories out 1350. Exercise: 120minElliptical. I had Jillian on deck to do today but didn't get around to it. I got in my elliptical as usual, then got a call from the school that #5 had fallen again. I went to see how he was and ended up checking him out. I don't think he re injured his arm, but he was pretty shaken.  I still had carpool duty to pick up #4, in fact I had to pick up middle school too, as #1 had a school activity (he usually grabs them on the way home).  I had P/T Conferences with the two little ones. Glowing reviews ... I expected nothing less. Then #3 had a basketball game across town. I could see I was close to my step/calorie goal, so I did some stepping on the bleachers during the game. Our kids got creamed, so I gave up videoing it anyway.

1107 (Thursday) Good Day. Weight 153.6. Fitbit Steps 23716. Total Burn 3033. Calories in 2000. Calories out 1321.  Exercise: 100minElliptical, Ripped in 30 Level 2, 30minPacing. Early out for the elementary today. The middle school boys had open gym after school. Hubby had a derby and wanted a helper, so he went and grabbed #3 and they were off. #2 went straight from the middle school to the high school for a basketball meeting. I took #4 to basketball practice, got some pacing in (about 1.5 miles). Then #2 and I caught a ride to his game, which was clear across town (out of my driving comfort zone). I was really glad I went as it was a good game. Daddy dropped #3 at his practice after the derby ended and I did the pickup at 10:00. Whew, it was quite a day!

1108 (Friday) Bad Day. Weight 152.7. Fitbit Steps 17886. Total Burn 2639. Calories in 3100. Calories out 928. Exercise: 100minElliptical. The little boys were out of school today. I thought we were going to end up taking my car in (the heat hasn't been working) but hubby topped off the antifreeze and that seemed to fix things. Yesterday was my mom's birthday and Sunday is mine, so we went out with my folks to Texas Roadhouse. I hadn't eaten great in the morning (banana bread) so I was definitely over, even though I did limit myself to one roll.

1109 (Saturday) Bad Day. Weight 154.5. Fitbit Steps 12299. Total Burn 2350. Calories in 3000. Calories out 635. Exercise: 40minElliptical. #4 had a basketball game but it wasn't until 10:00, so I was able to sleep in and still get in a workout before. Daddy and brothers came to watch today (usually it is only me). They creamed as usual. We stopped for donuts after... donuts are not good for the calorie count. I did a run to the grocery store, then Hubby and two of the boys and I went to a local theater which performs parody musicals. We saw "The Hungry Games" and it was quite fun. It's a dinner theater, and we did have some pizza and root beer. Then off to a 6:00 game with #2, another clutch game. We lost by two.

1110 (Sunday) Bad Day. Weight 155.8. Fitbit Steps 12189. Total Burn 2393. Calories in 2700. Calories out 700. Exercise: 60minElliptical. It's my birthday.  Made the usual Sunday Circles. It was the primary program at church today (I play the piano). Hubby made a big bbq for my birthday dinner. I made a yummy dessert I had been craving. Calories were over again today. Gotta get back to under 2000!

1111 (Monday) Good Day. Weight 157.4. Fitbit Steps 32112. Total Burn 3584. Calories in 2000. Calories out 1852. Exercise: 120minElliptical, 60min/3.5miles Treadmill, 37min/10miles Bike, 60minWeights. Very productive day today. I think the weigh in (FIVE pounds up from Friday) motivated me. Kept calories in check, although still barely at 2000. Lots of running around in the evening; school carpool and to the high school four times for basketball stuff for the boys. Daddy and the two little boys went to see an NBA game downtown.

1112 (Tuesday) Good Day. Weight 154.3. Fitbit Steps 25407. Total Burn 3178. Calories in 2800. Calories out 1463. Exercise: 120minElliptical, 45min/12mile Bike. Glad to see the scale drop after the big up. Not a complete reversal, gotta keep working.  Wasn't a good eating day, nothing specific, cold cereal, french toast for dinner. It just all added up. I did sneak in a sunshine break today, got in a little down time and some vitamin D.

1113 (Wednesday) Good Day. Weight 155.2. Fitbit Steps 24308. Total Burn 3058. Calories in 1500. Calories out 1347. Exercise: 100minElliptical, 35min/2.5Mile Treadmill (1 mile jog, 1.5 mile intervals ... but more walking than I should), Ripped in 30 Level 3.  Up a little from yesterday, and it did motivate me to control incoming calories today. Got in my Ripped, trying level 3 for the first time. I never like it the first time. We'll see if I like it better as I go on. #3 had a basketball game clear across town, I did have some uber anxiety driving on the freeway (I avoid freeways if at all possible) but we made it. They lost, although they had beaten this team when they played them earlier in the season. As it turns out, my car concerns were valid, but it was my parents who were in a bad crash. Luckily they were able to walk away although the car is totaled.

1114 (Thursday) Good Day. Weight 153.8. Fitbit Steps 32093. Total Burn 3398. Calories in 1800. Calories out 1687. Exercise: 100minElliptical, 1.5mile/18minTreadmill, 30min/8miles Bike, 10minWiiFit + pacing. Weight down ... can I at least get to the same weigh in as last week? I did control calories (although I splurged on some peppermint ice cream, so yummy!). #4 had basketball practice, I brought my shoes and headphones and just walked back and forth the whole hour and got 6000+ steps (about 3 miles). #3 had practice later, and #2 finished up his tryouts. He made it all the way to the end of the high school cuts. The coach asked his preference ... being second string on the sophomore team, or being a starter on the 9th grade team. He elected for 9th grade, to get more playing time. It is my preference too, much less expensive, closer games ... and I do want to see him PLAY. So proud of him for making it so far, especially after loosing almost an entire year  (back to back broken feet last which sidelined him last season).

1115 (Friday) Pretty Good Day. Weight 152.5. Fitbit Steps 19572. Total Burn 2794. Calories in 1800. Calories out 1090. Exercise: 100minElliptical.  The middle school boys had late start, so I slept in a little, although I still have to get off the elementary kids at the same time. Midday I got a call from the elementary that #5 had eaten a peanut butter cookie and was having a reaction (he is allergic, but not life threatening). I was surprised because he can usually smell PB a mile away. I went to the school and found out it was a macadamia nut cookie, which does make much more sense. He wouldn't have recognized that by sight or smell. It reacted in his mouth immediately and he spit it out and threw up. He had no physical signs I could see (swelling, trouble breathing) but wasn't feeling well. I brought him home and gave him Benedryl and kept an eye on him. He fell into a very restless sleep, I felt like I needed to lay next to him and hold his little clenching hands to relax him. He finally was back to his old self after several hours. Hubby had a derby in the evening, so no date night. I was able to keep calories under control, so it wasn't a bad day even with the limited activity.

1116 (Saturday) Ok day. Weight 152.5.  Fitbit Steps 13067. Total Burn 2432. Calories in 1600. Calories out 728. Exercise: 60minElliptical.  Slept in, got up just in time to take #4 to his 9:00 basketball game. They lost, dang it, otherwise it would have been an undefeated season (the other team was undefeated and very good). It was good for our boys to see what it is like to play a team that really knows what they are doing, to have to work for it. The other games have been too easy. I did NOT stop for donuts today! Did a little cleaning then it was time for #3's basketball game. They lost. #3 does need to work on his attitude. Then #4 had a team party, then we all packed up and headed out to Maga's for a birthday dinner/celebration. It was pizza, but they did go to the trouble of getting MY kind of pizza (just white sauce and cheese) so I ate ... but I hadn't eaten much all day and I was hungry. There was also some addictive chocolate drizzled popcorn. I did not eat cake. I think my MIL thought I was just being good and resisting, but actually I just don't like red velvet cake. If it had been white with buttercream .... hmmmm. Did manage to stay under calories, even with limited exercise.

1117 (Sunday) Ok Day. Weight 153.4. Fitbit Steps 20164. Total Burn 2806. Calories in 2300. Calories out 1097. Exercise: 100minElliptical. 30min/8mile Bike, 10minHula. Sunday sleep in, then Sunday Circles; my big breakfast day. Church. Nap. Still some cardio throughout the day. Just some mac&cheese for dinner. I didn't make homemade oreos ... Sunday isn't the best day to make them, as it's one of my less active days and they always push me over. Went over 2000 today, but still kept calories in check.

1118 (Monday) Pretty Good Day. Weight 153.9. Fitbit Steps 20102. Total Burn 2921. Calories in 1600. Calories out 1209. Exercise: 100minElliptical, 60minWeights.  Not a bad weekend, and now back to the routine. I did have to run to the store after dropping the kidlets off to school. Got in my elliptical and weights. Had a basketball meeting in the afternoon for #2. I was SO tired, I went to bed at 9:00 ...

1119 (Tuesday) Good Day. Weights 153.5. Fitbit Steps 30253. Total burn 3352. Calories in 2500. Calories out 1643. Exercise: 100minElliptical, 50min/3.5mile Treadmill, 38min/10mileBike. As the day started, I was feeling "good" sore from my weight workout yesterday. As the day progressed, it got pretty bad. I was going to try a cardio DVD, but I was not feeling up for it. I had already got my jog in (1 mile then intervals), the bike and elliptical don't require as much effort, so I did continue to do them. Pack meeting and basketball practice. I did more exercise in the evening just trying to stay awake until the 10:00 pickup time (hubby and #1 had gone to bed early!).  Hubby's birthday today, but he had been up so early and been taken out to eat with work, I put off the dinner I had planned, and he didn't even have any of the lemon jello cake I made him ... I did though.

1120 (Wednesday) Ok Day. Weight 154.2. Fitbit Steps 20490. Total Burn 2822. Calories in 2700. Calories out 1109. Exercise: 120minElliptical. Ok, I'll admit I let the soreness and the weight inching up to get to me a bit. Overate today, nothing big to blame, just lots of little things added up. Didn't feel up to much exercise other than elliptical. Now there's some pain in my lower back. Nothing huge, just ... there. #3 had his final basketball game of the season. Little break and then winter games start up.

1121 (Thursday) Ok Day. Weight 154.6. Fitbit Steps 20814.  Total Burn 2814. Calories in 2200. Calories out 1098. Exercise: 100minElliptical, 1 mile Treadmill, Ripped in 30 Level 3. Still stiff but tried to work through it. Family outing in the evening ... the car ride downtown, the cold, just had me on edge all evening. Physically tensed to a painful point. Body aching.

1122 (Friday) Ok Day. Weight 154.3. Fitbit Steps 16321. Total Burn 2479. Calories in 2100. Calories out 968. Exercise: 100minElliptical. I said I wasn't letting this little up get me down, but I just haven't felt as motivated these last few days. Late start, early out, a playdate here after school, #2 never even coming home anymore (me on call for a pickup at some point) ...

1123 (Saturday) Pretty Good Day. Weight 154.2. Fitbit Steps 20333. Total Burn 2821. Calories in 1600. Calories out 1108. Exercise: 100minElliptical. Hubs and I both headed to our home gym at the same time ... I ran ahead and grabbed the elliptical, making him use the bike. Much of the day was spent cleaning, which wasn't originally on the schedule. Got lots of stairs on the Fitbit today, as I was up and down a lot. We went out as a family to a local pizza place. I hadn't eaten much all day so I did have some calories to splurge. Back at home, the kidlets bugged Daddy to make malts. He made them, but didn't have any himself, and didn't offer any to me (I actually probably would have had some). In the past he would always set some aside for me (or at least ask) ... funny how his new focus on eating healthier affects me too. Which is good, I need a little extra push as the weight loss has been SO slow ... 

1124 (Sunday) Ok Day. Weight 153.1.  Fitbit Steps 12457. Total Burn 2270. Calories in 2650. Calories out 562. Exercise: 60minElliptical. Hubby beat me to the elliptical, so I waited until he was done. Did our usual Sunday Circles, making a pumpkin waffle for hubby from a mix he had received for his birthday. Church. Then we went out to my folks for dinner and hubby and I looked at a photo project Mom is working on and helped get some things going.

1125 (Monday) Good Day. Weight 155.0 Fitbit Steps 26180. Total Burn 3187. Calories in 1492. Calories out 1800. Exercise: 100minElliptical, 45min/12mile Bike, 1 mile Treadmill, Ripped in 30 Level 3. Should have been a full weights day, but I did Ripped in 30 instead. I'll try to hit the weights on Friday. Good activity and kept eating under control. There was a situation at the middle school (bomb threat) - the kids had to be evacuated and were allowed to leave, but not go back into the school for backpacks, so no homework anyway!

1126 (Tuesday) Good Day. Weight 154.1. Fitbit Steps 28732. Total Burn 3239. Calories in 1526. Calories out 1800. Exercise: 100minElliptical, 30min/2.25mileTreadmill, 30min/8mileBike, Ripped in 30 Level 3. Hit a couple stores today, got a start on some Christmas shopping. #2 basketball practice after school then went to the high school to watch an alumni tournament. These 10:00 pick ups are hard, I'm SO ready for bed before that! Did keep calories in check again.

1127 (Wednesday) Pretty Good Day. Weight 152.6. Fitbit Steps 23575. Total Burn 2861. Calories in 2200. Calories out 1157. Exercise: 100minElliptical, 40min Lawn Mow. Kids were out of school today, so the schedule was a little off.

1128 (Thursday)  Ok Day. Weight 152. Fitbit Steps 11929. Total Burn 2302. Calories in 2600. Calories out 600. Exercise: 60minElliptical. Got in some cardio in the morning, and then again in the evening. We were going to inlaws for dinner, but hubby was handling the turkey and potatoes. My meal wasn't too bad, but I did indulge in chocolate pie.

1129 (Friday) Good Day. Weight 153.7. Fitbit Steps 24654. Total Burn 3102. Calories in 1350. Calories out 1391. Exercise: 120minElliptical, 60minWeights. Kids off school, hubs off work. Hubs wants some changes, so I spent the day cleaning/rearranging. Moving his "den" downstairs and making a homework spot for the kids and their stuff. 

1130 (Saturday) Pretty Good Day. Weight 153.1. Steps 18871. Total Burn 2811. Calories in 1900. Calories out 1104. Exercise: 80minElliptical. Had a family function for a couple of hours in the morning (Addie's baptism) then it was more cleaning and still not really done ...

Feeling Fruity

How many fruits and veggies are we supposed to get in a day? I struggle to get in even one. It's not that I don't like fruit ... well, it kinda is. I've never even tried many of the fruits out there (strawberries, raspberries, cherries, plums, peaches and more). I've taken one bite of cantaloupe and kiwi and that was the end of that. Apples and oranges are all right if I'm in the mood. I do love pears, but I struggle to get them home from the store without damage. Bananas are a staple, but they go bad so quickly. I have a hard time keeping them around at the right ripeness. We all like the purple grapes ... if they are firm and crisp.  

This was a picture of my shopping cart from the summer. I really enjoy watermelon, but only in season. We're looking forward to the "Cuties" (mandarin oranges) to hit the shelves. I am trying to have fruit available around the house, and even keep it visible (like in the basket on the counter in the top photo) to remind the kids AND me to eat up.

I purchased a pomegranate for the first time this week. I've picked up just the seeds before, but I haven't been able to find them lately, and the fruit itself was on sale. But my heavens, since when does fruit need opening instructions?  I looked it up online, and I still did it wrong. I even tried eating one of the little seeds. If you know me at all, you know that is huge. I don't try things. But alas, I didn't like it at all (it's sour!). I've looked up a couple other methods of opening a pomegranate and getting the seeds out, so maybe I'll try an alternate opening technique. The kids like them. They are a favorite fruit of kid #3. It was a good thing I got my fruit photo when I did, because the next time I turned around, he had eaten all the arils.  

I have mastered prepping a pineapple. That's not nearly as hard to handle as a pomegranate.

I set myself up a "Feeling Fruity" streaks calendar. All I need to do to be able to mark off the day is it ONE serving of fruit. I don't know that I even got 50% for October, but at least I'm tracking and consciously trying.

I was proud of myself for trying something new ...even if I didn't like it. Maybe I need to try again. This article (Pomegranate Health Benefits) popped up in my BlogLovin feed. 

I consider it an NSV for the week and participating in the LinkUp. I had a second NSV too, I made brownies and did NOT eat one bite (I might have licked the spoon though). 

It's Halloween today! An email from the Jillian Michaels camp came up with healthy candy alternatives, (some being fruit) ... but sometimes I just want to indulge in good old-fashioned candy. I'll just try to keep it in control. What? Candy Corn isn't a vegetable?

And a final offering ...

A humorous attempt at substituting Halloween candy with more healthy fare.

I admit ... I laughed.

So tonight ...  door duty or supervising the kids duty?
Either way I should get some steps on my pedometer.

What are your favorite fruits?

Ohhh ... I Want One!

I'm a gadget girl (married to a gadget guy).  I'm quite happy with my Fitbit tracker and while I keep my eye on and opinions open about the many similar items out there, I'm not planning on replacing it anytime soon (although I'd LOVE to give some of them a try  and compare if anyone wanted to comp me one! *Ü*) My brother shared a link to this new gadget ... the Airo, and I'm intrigued! Here are just a few links discussing it~ 

• Mobi Health News
• Tech Hive
• Engadget
• Betakit
• LiveScience (this one sounds the most skeptical)

Like my Fitbit, the Airo will track activity and sleep. Ok ... I already have that. But THIS little wristband is also supposed to monitor your stress (tracking heart rate, I do have a HRM but I don't wear it all the time) and a spectrometer to ... track your nutrition!

From the Airo website ... "AIRO is able to automatically track both the calories you consume and the quality of your meals. With a built in spectrometer, AIRO uses different wavelengths of light to detect nutrients released into the bloodstream as they are broken down during and after your meals." The Airo can tell when you start and finish your meals, give you a calorie estimate, and even feedback on your eating habits in general (do you eat meals at set times during the day, or do you graze? You are probably aware of your own habits, but sometimes having them documented is eye-opening).

If that works ... that sounds AWESOME.

All the articles seemed to be released in the past day or so, so this is brand new. It is available for pre-order ($149 + $10 shipping, regularly $199) but it isn't set to be released until Fall of 2014. That is a whole year away! It doesn't sound like anyone has really had one in hand yet to try out either ... I'm really looking forward to reviews. 

I haven't pre-ordered it yet myself... It's not the price that's stopping me, it's the wait. I don't think a prototype even exists yet. But I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this. If it was available right now, I don't know that I'd be able to resist grabbing one. I'm sure I'd still wear my Fitbit and compare the activity and sleep feedback. I love second opinions (and third, and forth ... I've said it before, I like redundancy). I'd still track on MFP and it would be SO interesting to see how closely the calorie count intake would add up... or didn't. I'd buy this for the "nutritional" feedback function alone.  If it actually works.

What do you think? 

Does this intrigue you as much as it does me?

.... and following up, sounds like it was too good to be true. Production was canceled and orders refunded (I'd never ordered, was waiting for some reviews). I read about it here ...

Cake and Cuts

 

Last night we went up to Maga's (grandma) house. It was my SIL's birthday, and she's leaving for 18 months on a mission for the LDS church. So it was a farewell gathering too. Dinner was taco salad, which I don't like (and didn't eat) ... but I did snack on some of the Fritos.  When it came time for cake ... I ate cake. And ice cream. And instead of just logging in the same ice cream I indulge in at home, I double checked the calories and guess what. It has a LOT more calories than my usual brand.  Grandma buys the premium stuff. 

I hadn't been particularly good earlier at home either ... add those calories to the several hours sitting during the drive and the party and, well, it was NOT a good calorie day. After a not good weekend.

It was just one of those frustrating "why did I do that?" type of day (and weekend) ... I knew my exercise hours were going to be limited Monday, so why didn't I control my calories during the day? At the party, I didn't need to snack on salty chips. I'm not really a fan of chocolate cake ... why did I eat it? I know other's have mentioned at times feeling pressure to participate or not offend. That was not the reason I ate. I'm such a picky eater everyone is quite used to me not eating things when everyone else is.  It wasn't that I was particularly hungry. It wasn't that the cake and ice cream looked particularly good. I don't know ... I just wasn't caring that much.

It's so easy to see how I gained the weight in the first place. It was days like these.  I do still have them, but few and far between ... well, not this week. I've had a few too many this week.

I did enter everything into my MFP food diary. I saw myself move into the red. Upon returning home from the party, I could have done another 20min session on the elliptical, but I was tired. I don't know that one more 20min session would really have made much of a difference.

Aunt Olivia does hair ... 

she often cuts the boy's hair, saving us time and big bucks.

One last haircut before she leaves (on Wednesday)

Shaggy

(yes, that is considered LONG, SHAGGY hair)

to Shorn

She added a little color to #5

Weight was up this morning. Not a surprise. I have been pretty motivated to be good today. We'll see if I can turn things around enough to at least get back to where I was last weigh-in. I have a couple more days ... but one of those is Halloween, which in addition to candy temptations, also limits my exercise hours as I'll be at the elementary school most of the day, at the doctor (time to take the cast off) in the afternoon, and Halloween stuff in the evening.  It's scary!

I wish I didn't partake of the cake ...

A Big Bag of Sugar

I did a lot of baking last week (Been Baking) and we made gingersnaps last night.  With all this baking, I needed to restock our sugar supply. I went downstairs to our storage room and grabbed a 25 pound bag of sugar and lugged it up the stairs. It was heavy!  Then I had a moment of realization ... that's about what I've lost on my journey so far (depends on the day. My MFP ticker has shown 26 for the past few weigh-ins, it's back to 24 today. Up a little after a wicked weekend, oops!) I am really glad I'm not lugging that extra 25 pounds around every step of every day anymore. I'd like to lose another big bag of sugar ... of course I probably should cut back on the baking to help with that, right? *Ü*

It is a bit of a challenging week ahead. A family party tonight, helping out at the school for the Halloween party on Thursday (and some prep before that) ... Halloween itself, and the candy the kids bring home (Mommy deserves a few choice pieces, right?). Basketball practices and games almost every day. A doctor appointment to get the cast off baby boy. Family funeral on Saturday (my grandma passed away last week after struggling several years). There will be some eating and exercise challenges to end the month, but I'll do the best I can to keep up.

I'm very glad I won't be lugging a 25 pound bag of sugar every step of the way.

Linking Up with the Motivational Monday Team.

Wendy @ Daily Dose of Del Signore

Morgan @ Fat to Fit Confessions Tiff @ The Fit Train Katie @ The Carb Monster Alisha @ Coily Locks

Interesting Articles and Creative Costumes (SS#4)

... I got through several magazines this week (Self July2011, Health Nov2012 & March 2013, Fitness Feb2013, March2013 & April 2013, Women's Health Nov2012 & Nov2013). I enjoyed browsing them all, but nothing made enough of an impact to be included here. I did find some online stuff I thought I'd share:

• Two blogs I follow discussed "Cheat Days" this past week. Do you cheat? Here are the links to the blog posts...  Fit to the Finish & Sky n Surf
• In my local newspaper, there was an article How I Lost One Jean Size in Less than 24 Hours Without Working Out or Dieting ... no, it's not an ad for the latest miracle pill, just a humorous look at vanity sizing.
• If you haven't read (or even if you have) Michael Pollan's books (Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food)  there is a quick overview of the highlights by Ella on her Nutritionella blog. 
• Hailey's Helpful Hints gives an overview of the different Tummy Types and top tips on taming them. What kind of belly bulge are you struggling with?
• Strength and Sunshine gathered all the different Plank Variations on her blog. I also stumbled upon another good article How To Do The Perfect Plank with some good fixes for common plank problems.
• A Fluffy Girl asks "Where There Fluffy Women At?" and it's something to think about. 

With Halloween approaching, I thought I'd share this article about Alternatives to Halloween Candy. Just an option if you didn't want to bring candy into your house, or encourage the eating of it elsewhere.  There were some ideas that I think kids would really like.

 Another inspiring article from our local paper.  

 Paralympian Wows with Humorous Halloween Costumes

If you have a post highlighting interesting articles, favorite blog posts, reading recommendations, or anything you think deserves a second chance in the spotlight, feel free to link up!

Weigh-In #15 ... Been Baking

As I set my goals for the month, they are mainly fitness related.  A certain number of steps or calories burned, so many minutes of activity ... I do pretty well achieving my activity goals.

There's fitness ... then there's food. This wasn't a great food week. I actually didn't go extremely over on any day, but I didn't have ONE day under 2000 calories (my poor little "Streaks" calendar for calories is awfully bare this week). Being quite active, technically I can consume higher, but 2000 does seem like a totally reasonable number. All the "Percent Daily Values" on food labels are "based on a 2,000 calorie diet" and I know that so many women manage to keep themselves at 1200-1600. I often think to myself "HOW do they do that?" but I know ... I know if I ate better, fewer empty calories (or none at all ... but who am I kidding? I'm not there yet) that it wouldn't add up so quickly. 

It was a baking week though ...

Pumpkin Cookie Press Cookies

Homemade Oreos

Banana Bread

Cinnamon Rolls

Carb overload I know. I really enjoy baking though. I like seeing things come together. The smiles on the faces of the kids and their friends. The moans of delight and the rave reviews. I just don't get the same feedback from making dinner (ok, sometimes they are pretty happy with actual meals too, but it's usually just downing dinner and off again, leaving me with nothing but dirty dishes). As the cooler weather of Fall has hit, I've just been in a baking mood ... there are a ton of other things I want to make too, and it's all on the sugar side of things. Unfortunately, I'm not one who can bake but not bite. While there are many dinners I make but don't eat, I really like eating this stuff too.

 ... here was my attempt at a healthy breakfast on Monday.

Overflowing Oatmeal ... Oops

So, goal for next week ... keep a couple of days at least down to a 2000 calorie day.

Does that mean no more baking?

So actual numbers ... UP .3 from last week, although my average is .1 down (155.4).  MFP ticker at 26 (same for WI #12, #13, #14).  Average intake was 2443 (ouch!) and average energy expenditure was 2827. Although I didn't go over calories any day of the week, I also didn't maintain my 500 daily deficit. My total deficit for the week was just 2687 ... not enough for a loss.

Linking up with Coffecake and Cardio's How'd I do Friday.

I need to do better. 

Other Friday Linkups I Like

JillConyers at Fitness, Health and Happiness

Katie at Talk Less Say More

Michelle at Mind, Body and Goal

Photos of Food

If you've followed my blog at all, you've probably noticed that I focus more on the fitness than the food. I feel like I've got a pretty good handle on exercise, but I have NOT mastered food at all. It's a challenge. Every. Single. Day. 

I'd seen many bloggers post pictures of what they eat. In fact, there is a very popular link up called "What I Ate Wednesday" and you would not believe the participation (100+ each week).  I really never figured I would join in ... I'm too embarrassed to open up my electronic food diary on MFP. But I figured that could be a goal to strive for ... to have even ONE day during the week when I kept things in control enough that I felt I could share. I thought I could try making a photo food diary (in addition to keeping up my calorie counting on MFP) to see if that impacted me at all.  I felt it did! 

I read about an app called "Meal Snap" which seemed like a good way to organize and track my food photos. It was $3. It keeps all the pictures of my meals organized (breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc.) and my days separate. This app even gives me a calorie estimate based on the photo and description. Now ... THAT can be pretty dang inaccurate, but you can go edit things with a corrected count. It's just interesting to see the calorie count it comes up with at times!

I found that taking pictures of what I was going to eat before I ate it DID improve my intake. Just knowing there was going to be photographic evidence, I think I tried a little bit harder than I normally do. Even the simple process of taking a picture was helpful ... I had to stop and think about what I was going to eat, and was it worth it.  No mindless eating. I did more actual meals, instead of grazing and constant snacking during the day. It was interesting to literally look back on what I'd eaten.

Will I continue to take pictures of my food? I'm not sure I'll do it every day, but I think I might try to do it at least one day a week. I don't know that I'll be participating in this link up again, but maybe every once in a while (I won't stop my food diary on MFP anytime soon).  So here was my food photo diary for the day ...

Breakfast: A little instant oatmeal, topped with cinnamon (the cinnamon grinder is a cute idea, but it was a bit of a pain, I think I'd prefer just to sprinkle ground cinnamon and not work my wrists so much).  I also have a picture of the oatmeal in the first cup ... I wasn't watching and it overflowed -  oops!

Lunch: Homemade chicken and veggie soup. I did go ahead and enter the ingredients into MFP to get a calorie estimate. I did have to enter this one manually as the Meal Snap estimate was way too low.

Afternoon Snack: I'm trying to get a piece of fruit in my food diary each day. This is a challenge for me! Tortilla chips are a common snack item though. Admittedly, I often do eat them straight from the bag (I know that's a no-no). See ... my MealSnap made me actually put a single portion in a bowl. 

Dinner: I definitely could have eaten better for dinner, but the kids requested this and I did partake. I tried the diet trick of using a small plate.

Today's Treat: In a recent Saturday Spotlight I mentioned an article about Oreo Addiction. I can resist the standard oreos, but these homemade ones ... they are just too yummy! And I must admit, I ate first, then took a picture (and added up the calories) after. Oops & Ouch! Luckily there are never any leftovers to temp me. My boys eat them all! But there is an expectation that I make these at least once a week. I hadn't made them on Sunday (the usual day) and had some pouts ... and that was from hubby!

In my post on Monday, I talked about how helpful I thought apps can be (My Appy Place). In my Tuesday post  (Picture Imperfect), I talked about improving appearance in pictures. I thought it a bit ironic that today's post is a bit of a combo of the two topics! My helpful app "Meal Snap" and I found I actually tried to improve the presentation for the pictures ... even if it was just photos of food.

Have you ever tried using a "photo food diary"?

Do you think a picture can be better than a written record?

Because I had set a goal for myself to share my food diary for a day ... I'll say I achieved it. That is my NSV for the week. Linking up with Katie for her weekly Non-Scale Victory linkup! I DO hope this will help with a regular old scale victory too though!  Even at about 2100 calories in for the day, I did have more than my 500 calorie deficit (TDEE was over 3000 with all my activity). I would like to stay closer to 2000 calories in a day ... another goal.

The Wii and Me

I can't remember when the Wii first hit the marketplace. We did end up getting one for the kidlets, but I never got around to trying the various WiiSports (bowling, tennis, etc.)  Then came the release of WiiFit and the balance board. Surprisingly, it was my MOM who was the first to invest in this. While visiting grandma, the kids tried out the various activities and clamored for it's addition to our video game stash. As I was a bit intrigued by the possible workouts ... we got one.

That was several years ago. As with many workouts, it was used a LOT when it was still new, a novelty. I used it, but had to compete with the kids for time (it wasn't always available at my disposal).  It was also out in the main room, so there was often an audience ... or even "helpers" who would come press the balance board to throw things off.

As interest waned, I ended up moving the WiiFit into my gym. It's now always available, I don't have to switch out the disk with the kid's games, I don't have an audience  ... yet I still don't get to it that much. I guess I generally feel I get more "bang for my buck" with my other exercises (elliptical, treadmill, bike, weights, DVD workout).  But I do want to try and keep it in the repertoire.

I like the original, balance exercises the best. Those are the things I feel I don't necessarily get with my other workouts. I think the balance board is a unique idea. While the kids do still come in occasionally to do a little WiiFit, the can't beat Mom at soccer heading, Ski Slalom, Table Tilt, and Penguin Slide. Those are my main "exercises" ... I'll throw in a little hula at times (I bought an actual exercise hula hoop, and it's harder to spin the imaginary Wii one!), bike around the island or pop balloons while riding a segway. Sometimes I'll even fly ... you really don't want an audience for that one!

I have set up a Yoga series ... but I don't do it as often as I should (on or off the Wii). The strength training or simple steps ... I guess I'd rather just do my own thing for those.

I know many people use the Wii for their weigh-ins ... I do always find it interesting to see how it compares to my scale (it's usually pretty close, but I am including some estimation for clothing).

I know there is a ton of other stuff out there - Jillian Michaels, Zumba ... not officially a "workout" but the "Dance" games can get you moving (my mom has a couple of those).  I'm pretty much JUST a WiiFit girl, when I even get that in.

Have you ever tried WiiFit?

Linking up with

Workout Wednesday & Weigh In Wednesday 

Picture Imperfect

Last month we got together with cousins for some family fun. During that time, there were a few photos. I remember feeling pretty good that day, so when my SIL posted the picture to Facebook I was a little chagrined. Not enough to bother untagging myself, but I so often wish I was a little more photogenic (I'm in the white shirt. I feel like I look big in this picture, I weigh less in the photo above than my profile picture in the sidebar). I can take a good picture, I have before ... but they seem to be few and far between (and I most often get them with a little "photoshoot" where multiple pictures have been taken). I've been working hard and have been pretty pleased with what I've seen in the mirror ... she just doesn't often appear in photographs!

I'm always on the look out for tips and tricks to look a little better in pictures ... I'm not talking photoshopping stuff afterward, but things you can do in that moment just to hopefully improve the chances in the original, untouched shot.  I do try to position myself in the back. I never want to be the one closest to the camera (you always seem to look bigger that way). I try to remember my posture ... suck in the stomach, shoulders back, stick out the chin a little. Try to have the photo taken from above, not below. 

I came across this article and thought it had some great tips and examples.

Maskcara.com

I remember having this pinned to my photography board on Pinterest

SueBryce Portrait

Huge difference in just the way you stand.

Strike a pose!

I'm updating this post as I come across additional articles.
How To Be Photogenic - Kate Pease 
Never Look Bad In a Photo Again - Maskcara


Here are some additional tips from Tuts+ 
Aimed more at the photographer,
but good to try and keep in mind for yourself as well.
And this article on Celebrity Posing Tricks was an interesting read.

Now in the picture set below ...

I'm NOT attempting to start a debate or even discussion on "transformation" photos.

I just thought it was interesting from a "how to take a better picture" perspective.

These pictures were actually taken 15 MINUTES apart ...

Check out the complete post.

Just a few tweeks.

The Hidden Truths Behind a Transformation Pic!

This could also play a small part ^

Do you think that is true?

I'm working hard to lose weight. Better health and fitness are certainly part ... but admittedly, I would like to look pretty. To feel pretty. And I am feeling so much better about myself already. I definitely want photographs to reflect that as well. So I appreciate anything I can do to improve my chances at being picture perfect. I'm hoping I remember these tips the next time there is a photo shoot.

 Do you have any "skinny" tips/tricks for taking better pictures?

Linking up with Kristen and Kristen at Tips and Tricks Tuesday.